Crimson Shackles
by Deadly-Sinner
Summary: While on a hunt Fang, Hope, and Serah are captured by an organization that wants to kill all the former l'Cie. -ON HIATUS-
1. Hunting Gorgonospids and l'Cie

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy XIII. It belongs to Square Enix. I only own the OCs in here and the plotline (If this plotline is similar to other fanfictions, I apologize. I probably have not read them. But that's not my fault.)

**Rating:** M for Physical Torture, Mental Abuse, Rape, Blood and Gore, Psychological Trauma. Includes yuri and yaio (If you don't like that then don't read.)

**Pairings:** Flight, HopexVanille, and SnowxSerah

**Summary: **While on a hunt Fang, Hope, and Serah are captured by an organization that wants to kill all the former l'Cie.

**A/N:** I read a three-step guide for writing torture, and this immediately popped into my mind. I wanted to try out what I had read and I had several ideas, but none came on as strongly as this one. It's different from my romantic Flight fanfictions I've written so far.

Hope you guys enjoy. If you can enjoy a torture fic that is. I know that I do. :)

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Serah was woken up by someone shaking her shoulder. "Mmm… Snow?" She asked, groggily. Immediately a hand clamped down on her mouth. Her eyes flew open in panic, and she tried to move but found her limbs to be restrained by somebody who was definitely stronger then her. It took her a moment but finally she was able to focus on the face of her captor.

Fang.

Serah immediately relaxed at the familiar face. Fang paused before removing her hand from the younger Farron's mouth.

"You drool when you sleep." Was all she said. Serah blushed. "Anyways, you coming?" The Pulsian whispered. Serah's eyebrows knit together in confusion, then realization hit her. She and Hope and asked Fang to take them hunting with her so they could get stronger. And who better to ask to help them get stronger then Fang? She was a Pulsian with Godly strength and belonged to probably the most warrior like, hunter like clan in all of Eternity: The Yun. Fang had agreed after a few hours of begging, and told them she would wake them up the next morning when she was going to go hunting.

Suddenly Serah got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her eyes trailed to her alarm clock, then widened at the sight of it.

"Fang! It's-" Fang's hand immediately dropped onto Serah's mouth again, and she shook her head as if telling Serah to be quiet. Serah nodded, and Fang removed her hand. "it's 5:30 am!" Serah hissed. Fang nodded, then walked over to Serah's closet, opened it, and began rifling through the clothes. "Hey!" Serah whispered, springing out of her bed, but being careful not to wake Snow, who chose this moment to scratch his butt in his sleep. Fang looked at Serah, and raised one eyebrow. The young girl looked down and blushed upon realizing she was naked. If it was any other girl – Vanille, for instance – then she wouldn't have been so embarrassed, but this was Fang who was going out with her sister. Not only was Fang interested in women – Lightning in particular – but Serah looked a lot like her sister, something that could rouse Fang's primal nature upon seeing her naked. Fang merely threw some folded clothes at Serah then jerked her head at the door, wordlessly saying she would be outside the room. Serah nodded and Fang did just that; she left the room.

Once Fang was gone Serah rubbed her eyes and unfolded her clothes. It was obvious that Fang had taken some of Lightning's clothes, and simply grabbed Serah's undergarments. There was a pair of brown cargo pants, and a brown zipped-up turtleneck with no sleeves. Added to this was one of Lightning's black jackets, and a gun holster. Shrugging, Serah pulled on her undergarments, then Lightning's pants and shirt. They were slightly big, but Serah rolled up the legs of the pants and discovered that they weren't as bad as she'd first thought. She buckled the belt around her waist and clipped the holster on it, then walked out of her room and into the hallway.

"Seems kinda bland color wise." Serah commented as Fang looked over her shoulder at Serah. Now that they weren't in immediate danger of waking up Snow, Fang didn't seem to care about being quiet so much. She smirked at the sight of the younger Farron trying to look at herself.

"Yeah, well you can't wear something sexy until you get better. I've had years of practice." Fang joked, before leading Serah downstairs. "Now let's go get Hope." She pointed at the pantry. "I'll get him, you get some food together. Not much, just something for a small breakfast and lunch. We'll be back in time for dinner." She said. Serah blinked.

"Will we really be gone for the whole day?" She asked. Fang nodded.

"Absolutely. Remember the time I was gone for three days?"

Serah giggled. "Lightning almost went out to find you four times in two days." She said. Then her smiled turned into a frown. "You were a real mess when you came back." Fang waved it off.

"I've had worse. MUCH worse." She said, shrugging. "Well, I'll go get the little guy. Be back in… half an hour at most." Fang said, grabbing her lance and walking out of the house. Serah blinked, then started preparing the food as Fang had told her to get. She grabbed a pack of behemoth jerky, three peaches, and a small container of cheese curd. For the breakfast, Serah simply grabbed three bagels and a container of salmon cream cheese. She put the cheese and cream cheese in a cooler bag* then put the bag on a table and sat down. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep.

==Later==

Serah was, once again, roused from her sleep by a very amused-looking Fang and a sleepy-looking Hope. "Time t' go?" She asked groggily rubbing her eyes.

"Yep. Let's go. Got the food?" Fang asked. Serah nodded and stood up. "Then let's go." Fang walked out of the door and Serah took a moment to greet Hope.

"Hey, Hope." She said, smiling meekly. Hope waved and yawned. 'He's probably too tired to talk right now.' Serah thought, picking up the cooler back and the cloth bag she had for the jerky, peaches, and bagels. Her eyes drifted to Hope. He was wearing his usual clothes. He had been fighting for so long, it was obvious that he didn't have to wear combat clothes like Serah did.

At that moment, Fang poked her head in. "Coming?" She asked. Serah and Hope nodded in unison and walked out of the house. Outside Fang pointed down the street. "We'll head to the eastern side of town. Then we'll go to the Steppe." She said. Serah blinked in confusion.

"We're walking?"

Fang looked down at Serah and grinned. "Yep!" She said, before turning around and walking down the street with long strides. Serah blinked again before she and Hope jogged to catch up with the older woman.

==1 Hour Later==

The three hunters stood at the edge of the Archyle Steppe, and Serah had no idea how they'd gotten there so fast. Pushing that aside, she looked down at the valley. Behemoths, and Gorgonospids tussled while Flan lazily oozed about. The Amphisbaena weren't in the sky, and the Adamantoise were obviously not awake.

"All right, we'll be hunting Gorgonospids today." Fang announced, stretching as she spoke. "Now, I want to establish a few ground rules, okay?" Serah and the now awake Hope nodded, eager eyes fixed on their new mentor. "First things first: Do what I say without hesitation. If I say to run you get. The. Fuck. Out." She said, sitting down on a rock. "Trust my judgment." Serah and Hope nodded, but Fang shook her head. "I'm serious. If a Behemoth might rip out my guts and I tell you to run and save yourselves, run like hell." Serah and Hope hesitated, but nodded.

"Second. Serah, this may not seem fair to you, but there are times when I'll tell you to stay back but not Hope. This is because, not only is Hope more adept at using his magic then you, but Hope knows my strategies and what to do when fighting with me. So, I'm just going to be frank here, I trust Hope in battle a lot more then you, okay?" Hope's chest swelled slightly with pride at this statement. Serah nodded.

"I understand." She said, a little crestfallen.

Fang nodded in turn and continued. "Third: If you guys get hurt Lightning is gonna kill me so… let the things hit me before you, okay?" She said. Hope nodded immediately, having first-hand experienced Fang's Sentinel power, but Serah paused.

"What if we might survive?" She asked. Fang shook her head.

"Trust my judgment. Hope will have healed me before I could die, ain't that right, Hope?" She punched the boy playfully on the shoulder, causing Hope to chuckle slightly.

"I'm not _that_ good…" He said, smiling.

"Trust your abilities!" She said, standing up. "All right, a few other things: Stay away from Behemoths, Amphisbaenas, Adamantoise, and Magestrons. Kay?" Hope and Serah nodded, eager to get hunting. "All right! Let's go!" Fang grabbed her lance and raised it above her head, shaking it slightly. Hope grabbed his boomerang and did the same, while Serah merely used her fist. Then Fang started walking down the hill to the valley, closing followed by Hope and Serah.

==2 Hours Later==

Serah and Hope sat on a rock, breathing heavily. Yet for some reason Hope had a huge grin on his face.

"Man, haven't done this in a while." He said breathlessly. Fang grinned.

"Fun, ain't it?" She asked. Hope and Serah nodded. "Well, it should be… eight now. Maybe nine. What say we have breakfast then go find that pack that got away?" Once again, Serah and Hope nodded. Then Serah grabbed the bagels and cream cheese and placed them on a large, flat rock that could act like a table.

Suddenly Fang stood up, her head turned to the side. Serah looked up, startled by her sudden movement, while Hope looked concerned. "What's wrong?" He asked. Fang silenced him by holding a hand up.

"Shh." She hissed. Hope and Serah fell silent, then suddenly two men sprang out from behind a rock.

"Damn! We hoped to spring a surprise attack but that Pulsian heard us!" One said. In his hands was a huge gun. The other man held two pistols.

Fang turned her head towards them and smirked. "Not heard. Smelled. How long has it been since you boys have taken a shower?" She asked. The man who had spoken scowled.

"I would suggest that you be respectful." He said. "You're outnumbered."

Serah frowned. "It's three to two." She said. The man chuckled.

"Actually, it's twenty to three." He said. Immediately eighteen more men walked out from behind the rocks, holding guns.

"Shit…" Fang hissed, glaring at the men. Hope grabbed his boomerang, but a sharp gunshot rang out and Hope screamed in pain, clutching his hand. "HOPE!" Fang shouted. Blood dribbled out of the new hole in his hand and the man with pistols smirked, one of them smoking.

"Stay away from the weapon, little boy." He said. "We don't mind shooting you guys. Fang glared at him.

"What the hell do you want?" She asked, her voice dangerously low. The man shrugged.

"We want the former l'Cie." He said, leering at her.

"Why?" Serah's voice came out shrill and high-pitched. The man chuckled.

"Our boss wants to kill you guys. Come along now." Fang blinked at this.

"You want to kill us and you expect us to come _with you?_" She asked, amazed by the man's preposterous suggestion. The man leered again.

"Unless you wanna die here." He said, pushing a button on his jacket. From a sky descended a sky ship that had been cloaked until recently. "Now come along. We won't hurt you… too much. Another man walked up to Fang and poked the bad end of his gun into her back. Fang frowned and set her lance down.

"Fine… Serah, Hope, don't worry." She said, looking at the younger ones. Hope was on the ground, holding his hand, but he looked up and nodded. Serah nodded as well. Another man poked a gun into Serah's head, and one grabbed Hope by the scruff of his shirt and yanked him to his feet.

"Walk."

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**A/N:** *A Cooler Bag is a bag that keeps frozen food frozen. I have one; they're awesome. :D 

Thoughts? Comments and Criticism? It's welcomed. ^^ Hope you guys liked the first chapter. I know the ending seems sort of rushed (in my opinion) but I couldn't think of anything else. :X

Also, kudos to my awesome beta-reader. :D

R&R please. ^^


	2. Regretful Heroics

**A/N:** I just read this GREAT tip page on how to write Gruff/Stoic characters and OMG! While most of it couldn't be used for her, a lot of it would be really helpful for Lightning! Seriously, Lightning is, like, the most stoic character on there. The least one could do is put a _little_ effort into making her stoic, and not all mushy-gushy. Ever read a Fanfic where Serah wakes up before the game is over? I've read a few of those, and let me say: Lightning gets nerfed! She's crying and pouring out her feelings and appologies to Serah. In my opinion, she would hug her, smile a bit, and say she's glad Serah's back - Maybe even let a few tears fall - but not burst into tears and say just how sorry she is. And if you DO want her to cry, make her GO AWAY!

Okay, rant over. Time for chapter two. :D

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Lightning grunted in her sleep and rolled over. Sunlight streamed through the window, rousing the soldier from her slumbor. "Mmmm…" She groaned, opening one eye. The first thing she noticed was that Fang's pillow was empty.

"Wha?" Sitting up Lightning looked around the room to see that Fang was indeed not there. Fang's side of the bed was empty yet the sheets were neat, as if she had carefully put them down in order to not wake up Lightning. Yet she had opened the curtains, something she only did when she would be away for a while and not be able to wake up Lightning to tell her that it would be time for her to go to work.

Carefully sliding out of her bed, Lightning folded the sheets down and stretched, giving a small "ahhw!" while she did this. She then walked over to her closet but upon opening it discovered that her favorite black jacket – well, her second-favorite. Her white one was her favorite – was not there. "Huh?" She grunted. Shrugging, Lightning grabbed her Gaurdian Corps uniform and pulled it on. She stepped out of her room, noting with surprise that Snow was waiting for her in the hall.

"Snow?" She asked, raising one eyebrow. "What are you doing here?" Snow shrugged.

"I know you and Fang sleep naked so I didn't want to come in and wake you." He said. A slight pink tinged Lightning's cheek, but she willed it away.

"What is it, Snow?" She asked, brushing past him and going into the bathroom. Snow followed her and leaned against the door while she slathered peppermint toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

"I woke up and Serah wasn't next to me." He said, concern written all over his face. Lightning looked at him and paused what she was doing.

"Oh, Snow, did you _finally_ squish her? I told her that would happen eventually." She said before returning the brush to her mouth. Snow smirked.

"Nah, if I had there would be a big Serah-colored splotch on my bed." His amusement vanished, face turning serious again. "But I'm serious."

Lightning frowned, then spat out the paste in her mouth and looked up at Snow. "Fang wasn't here either." She said.

"She wasn't?"

Lightning turned on the water and ran her toothbrush underneath it. "Nope." Snow frowned and ran a hand through his hair.

"Wait… didn't they say something about Fang taking Serah hunting?" He asked. Lightning shook the water from her toothbrush.

"Now that you mention it… yeah. Hope too." She said, cuppingher hands under the stream over water and pouring it into her mouth. She swished it around a few times then spat into the sink. "Was that today?"

Snow nodded. "I think so."

"Makes sense…" Lightning mused, wiping her mouth off and putting her toothbrush away. "All right. That's that." She walked out of the bathroom, past Snow, and downstairs. "I have to go to work, so I won't be back until tonight." Lightinng turned around to look at Snow – who was currently following Lightning down the stairs – as she said this.

"Don't you want to eat?" Snow asked. Lightning shook her head.

"I'll get something on the way there." She said, grabbing her gunblade and sliding it into its holster. Snow nodded.

"Okay. See you when you get back."

Lightning grunted in response as she left.

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"Fang?"

Fang looked up from where she sat, handcuffed, on the cold metal floor of the airship. Serah was looking right at her, despiration in her eyes. Fang couldn't see Hope, but she had a feeling he didn't look any better.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

Fang blinked. 'Damn… it…' She thought, gritting her teeth. Serah may have been a lot different from Lightning, but she was still Lightning's younger sister. 'I'm letting Lightning down… I told her nothing would happen…'

Tears started welling up in Serah's eyes, so Fang spoke. "It… It will be okay. I'm not letting anything happen to you guys, okay?" She said ernestly. Serah nodded.

"Okay…" She said, quietly.

Then the door opened. Fang's gaze shot up to who had entered. It was a tall man wearing black leather. "Who are you?" She spat. The man chuckled.

"You don't need to know." He said, walking up to her. "Hold up your hands." Fang scowled.

"No way, spit-fuck." She said. The man's smile faded into a frown and he grabbed the gun from his holster then pointed it at Serah's head.

"Do it, or I'll kill her."

Fang paused. 'That… bastard…' She thought. The man's hand tightened slightly, and Fang shot her hands up. The man grinned and grabbed a chain from the wall.

"Good girl." Fang growled at this. If there was anything she hated it was having her pride hurt. The man's smile returned as he attatched the handcuffs to the chain. He then proceeded to do the same to Hope and Serah's cuffs. "All righty." He said, once he had finished. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Serah's voice was high with fear. The man leered at her.

"Detention."

Fang frowned. "Detention?" She asked, standing up. The man grinned and grabbed the chains theat their handcuffs were attatched to.

"That's right. We're looking for the former l'Cie. You guys are former l'Cie so… well, you can either tell us or we can get the information out of you another way." Fang's stomach sank as he said this. 'Shit… not fair!' She thought, gritting her teeth. 'Lightning… Serah… Everyone Else… Crap…' Fang glared up at the man and he actually recoiled a bit. "Woah! Easy there!" he said, holding up his hands. Fang didn't tone her glare down, but instead growled low in her throat. Hope tried to step away from her - he had wittnessed first hand Fang's temper, and when she growled like that she was about to kill something.

"Bite me." She spat. The man chuckled.

"Hard way it is, then." He said. He grabbed something from the wall and with a closer look Fang determined that it was a stun rod – a metal rog with a rubber handle and two tongs at the end. When you pushed a button, electricity flowed through the rods and through each other. Touch it to someone… and they'd be out for a while.

"What are you doing?" Fang asked. The man chuckled again.

"Can't have you knowing where our hideout is. Don't worry, though. We'll only put you to sleep for a bit." Fang's eyes widened as she realized what he was going to do. 'Shit… If I get knocked out then who knows what they could do to Hope or Serah while I'm unconcious!" She thought, panicking.

"Wait-" She cried as the man brought the rod forwards. The man leered at her and slammed the rod against her side. The last thing Fang knew was a blinding flash of pain, a cry of agony, and then darkness.

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When Fang woke up she quickly noticed that two things were wrong. First, she had a trobbing headache. Second, she was hanging off a wall by shackles on he wrist.

Fang looked up to see the very shackles she had felt. They were clamped tightly around her wrists and held aloft by two thick chains that tied together halfway up making one huge chain. She grunted and twisted her wrists, only to notice that the metal inside was rough and rusty. A jolt of pain short through her arms, and she quickly stopped. 'Looks like I'm trapped…' She thought. Looking down Fang saw that there was only a few inches to the ground. 'Maybe I can…' She stretched her feet and toes down, but found that she couldn't touch the ground. 'Hehehe… Not only hang me up by my wrists but make me hopeful then crush that hope… jerks…' She thought, glaring at the ground.

A sound from the left of her made her turn her head. 'Crap…' She thought. Next to her was Serah, still unconcious, and next to _her_ was Hope. "Hope?" Fang hissed. She saw Hope move, then his head appeared behind Serah.

"Fang? You're awake!" He said. Fang nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. Are you two okay?" She asked. Hope nodded.

"They haven't done anything to us as far as I can tell." He looked up at the shackles. "Except this." Fang frowned.

"Yeah…" She turned her head to look forwards and surveyed the room with her eyes. It was make of stone with an iron jail-cell door on the other side, about 30 yards away. 'Big room…' There were also whips and knife lying around, and a large basin. 'I hope those aren't going to be used for what I think they're going to be used for…' She thought, gulping.

Then somebody opened the cell and walked in. Hope and Fang's eyes quickly locked on him as he closed the cell behind him. He was tall and muscular with tan skin and black, messy hair. He had a few scars that looked suspiciously like bullet marks. He wore brown cargo pants and no shirt. The man walked up to the three prisoners and stopped in front of them. His eyes – which Fang could see were brown now that he was closer – skimmed the forms of them, then he raised a fist and before Fang could to anything slammed it against Serah's jaw. The young girl cried out in pain and her eyes shot open. The man nodded, satisfied.

"Good, now all of you are awake." He said, folding his arms. Fang glared at the man, giving him the same glare she had given the soldier who had knocked her out.

"Who are you?" She hissed. The man looked at Fang, then shrugged.

"Call me Kamon." He said. Fang pursed her lips.

"Intriguing name." Kamon grinned.

"Eh." He shrugged. Then his expression turned serious. "Enough talking, though. We have things to discuss." Fang raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" She asked, half-amused half-worried. Kamon suddenly leaned in close to her, his face right in front of her's.

"Where are the l'Cie?" He asked. Fang glared at him, but Kamon returned the glare with equal ferver.

"Can't tell you." She said. Kamon growled and raised his fist.

"The l'Cie." He repeated. Fang blinked, then smirked triumphantly. 'Oh please, like a punch could make me reveal their location.'

"I don't know." She said. Kamon growled, and before she knew what had happened punched her in the jaw – hard. 'Shit!' She thought as white spots danced around her vision and a huge burst of pain shot through her, starting at her jaw then traveling through her head, neck, and spine. She turned her head slightly to look at Kamon's fist.

Brass Knuckles… Great.

"The l'Cie!" Fang snapped her eyes to him. 'Can't tell him…' Was her only thought.

"I don't know!" She cried. Kamon narrowed his eyes.

"Are you telling the truth?" He asked, warily.

"Yes! I don't know!" Fang snarled. Then she smirked. "I mean one could be shopping or-"

Another burst of pain shot through her as Kamon punched her again. 'Shit!' She thought, coughing. Something red came out of her mouth. 'Blood…?"

"THE L'CIE!"

"GO TO HELL!"

What made her say it, she didn't know and never got the chance to figure out. The look in Kamon's eyes changed from anger to unbridled fury and the next thing she knew was that she got a blow to her jaw… then to her eye… then her gut. More and more punches rained on her, and she closed her eyes in pain. Her mind went blank as Kamon slammed one punch into her temple, and another one to the gut made her slip into a stupor.

"Good, you're still awake." Kamon's words barely registered to Fang. She could here him take a few steps, then stop. "Now you." A whimper. "Where's the l'Cie."

'Serah!' Upon realizing that Kamon was now threatening Serah Fang's eyes shot open and a new determination hit her. "Wait!" She cried, her voice cracking. Kamon turned his eyes to her.

"Hmm?" He hummed. Fang glared at him, then gulped.

"D-Don't… hurt… them…" She gasped. Kamon chuckled.

"Listen. I need the l'Cie. Physical torture is a good way of gaining information." He said, matter-of-factly. Fang paused, thoughts racing throguh her mind. Finally, she spoke.

"Then break me." She said, her voice barely more then a whisper. Right after she said this she regretted it.

However Kamon seemed to be interested.

"What?" He asked, walking back up to Fang. Fang gulped, then spoke again, her mouth betraying her brain.

"Think… if you break me… if you give me their punishments… then I'll be more likely to give you information… instead of slowly chipping away…" She couldn't believe what she was saying.

"You mean… give you their torture?" Kamon asked. Fang nodded. A grin broke out on the huge man's face. "You're smart…" He said, nodding.

"No!" Hope cried. Fang shot her head up to glare at him.

"Do what I say, remember? That's what you promised!" Hope shrank slightly. "Now… shut up. I know what I'm doing." Fang turned her head back to Kamon. "Give me their punishment." She said. "I'm begging you…"

Kamon frowned and tapped his chin thougtfully. Finally he responded. "I may not look it, but I'm pretty honorable. All right. I'll give you their's. But you can't take this back." Fang nodded sourly. Kamon suddenly leaned forwards and leered at her.

"You'll regret that."

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**A/N:** Thank for StarValleyGirl for being my beta-reader. XD Without you this fanfiction would suck. :X Thank you! :D


	3. Red Hot Steel

**A/N:** So, yeah, I'm actually responding to my reviewers now. XD

Ty: Hehehe, yep. Fang's a badass. XD I would tell you if she is going to regret it or not, but that would be a spoiler. :3

BlazeFireSaber: Thanks ^^ Starting a story/chapter is always the hardest part for me. XD It's nice to know that people like how it turned out. ^^ Hope this chapter satisfies you. :)

HiddenChaser: So do I. :X My Beta-Reader thought there wasn't anything wrong with it, nor did the few people I showed it to beforehand, and I was too lazy to add more. XD

hubble36: Fang! :O:O:O:O:O Hehehe, don't worry. She'll be fine. ^^ … Maaaybe .;

t1Mb3r: I'm sure Lightning will rescue Fang soon (I suppose she could help Hope n' Serah too… XD)

xcess: I'll do my best. ^^

Thanks for all the reviews, everyone ^^ They make my day and motivate me to write more! :D

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Fang opened her eyes to see a stone floor. "What the…" She thought, raising her head. She was in a large room, chained up to the wall. For a moment she forgot why she was there, before the memories of earlier came back to her, as well as the residual pain from the punches she had received.

After Kamon had agreed to give her Hope and Serah's blows he had kept his word and given them to her… right away. Somehow she had managed not to tell him where Lightning and the others were, but afterwards she had blacked out.

"Fang? You're awake!" A voice from Fang's right caught her attention. She turned her head to see Serah looking at her, concerned.

"Serah…" Fang said. She was surprised at how hoarse her voice was. Serah frowned, concern and worry written all over her face.

"Fang, are you all right?" Hope piped up from next to Serah. Fang groaned and nodded.

"I'll be fine…" She said, gritting her teeth to numb the pain in her jaw. "I'm tough." She groaned again, this time quieter. "How long was I out?"

"I dunno." Both kids said in unison. Fang smirked.

"Lovely."

The three former l'Cie hung there in silence for a while before the huge cell door opened again. Fang's head shot up to see who had entered. Of course it _had_to be Kamon. Fang growled in her throat, one of the things she could do with her voice, and Kamon chuckled.

"I assume you're not happy to see me?" He asked, grinning. Fang nodded, causing Kamon to laugh. "That's too bad."

Kamon walked over to the right wall and grabbed a large, leather whip from it. A tiny piece of metal was tied onto the end, adding for weight.

In other words, whoever got hit with that would be in a lot of pain.

Fang gulped at the sight of it, then grit her teeth and reminded herself that she needed to be strong for Serah and Hope. If she broke down, then what could they do? Kamon walked up to her and detached the chains from her shackles. He then grabbed her hair and dragged her along the rough floor to the middle, then threw her down onto it, face-first.

"Shall we?" He asked, raising the whip.

"You're not going to give me a choice, are you?" Fang hissed. Kamon chuckled, and leaned down.

"Where's the l'Cie?" He asked. Fang rolled her eyes. 'This again?' She thought.

"There aren't any. We're all former l'Ci-" Fang didn't even get to finish her statement before a huge wave of pain shot through her, blurring her vision. Her eyes felt slightly moist, though Fang didn't know if that was blood or tears.

"THE L'CIE! AND NO MORE SMART TALK!" Kamon shouted. It was clear that he was losing his temper. The only thing Fang was able to deduce was that Kamon had whipped her. And that it had hurt.

"Don't… think that I'll break that easily." Fang growled. The initial shock of the whipping had gone, replaced with stubbornness and strength of will. She glared up at him, and was barely able to register that fact that his arm was raised before the whip cut into her back once more. She let out a small cry of pain, but grit her teeth the moment the sound escaped her.

"I'll give you one more chance. Where are they?" Kamon asked, his temper quelled by the sight of Fang in pain. Fang spat on the ground, saliva creating a small spot of mud.

"What happens if I blow that chance?" She asked, turning her head to look at him again. Kamon sneered in response.

"We'll know soon, won't we?" He said. Fang frowned. _'That doesn't sound good…'_

"I don't know where they are." She said, part of her curious to see what his reaction was, part of her not wanting to betray the others, and part of her wishing that the beatings would stop. However, being her usual stubborn self, Fang didn't want to acknowledge that part of her.

The next thing she knew what that Kamon was grasping her hair HARD and slamming her face repeateably on the ground.

"Don't play cocky with me, you little bitch." He hissed, raising her head up to talk into her ear. Something warm trickled down her forehead, and Fang could only assume that it was blood.

"That it?" She whispered. Kamon snarled, and the next things she knew was that her face was buried in the dirt, and his foot was on her head.

Then a sharp stinging pain came to her back. Okay, it wasn't sharp. It was like a bull had slammed into her. It was, of course, the whip, but for some reason it hurt even more. Then the pain came again… and again… and again. Before she knew it Fang was crying out with ever jolt that went through her. Kamon's laughing echoed in her ears, enhanced by the agony she felt. Her back felt warm and sticky, with the pain coming every second.

Then, as quickly as it had come it stopped. She heard a small 'thud', which must have been Kamon dropping the whip. A hand grabbed her hair, and she was yanked to her feet by Kamon, who dragged her a few yards then threw her back on the ground. She was faintly aware of Serah crying out for him to stop, before she was being dragged up into a sitting position, her arms forcefully held out in front of her. Kamon locked her wrists in a wooden board with two holes in it, specially made for doing just what it was doing: Trapping her arms.

"I'm not a monster, Oerba Yun Fang," He started, walking around her, running his finger along the back of the blade. "So before I continue the next treatment I'll let you tell me where the l'Cie are." Kamon suddenly leaned in close to her, his breath hot on her face.

"Where are the l'Cie?" He spat, drops of saliva landing on her face. Fang grimaced and recoiled slightly, before regaining her composure. Now that the pain had stopped, she had regained control of herself.

"Funny. You seem a lot like a monster to me." She said. Those words were enough to tell Kamon that she had no intention of telling him where her friends were. Anger flickered in Kamon's eyes briefly, and he took a few steps back.

"Have it your way."

Kamon raised his arm over Fang's arm, the blade glistening in what little light was in the room. For a second Fang was afraid that he was going to cut off her arm, and she flinched in preparation for this. However, when Kamon brought the knife down he pulled his arm back upon making contact between the metal and Fang's skin, creating a long cut in her arm. The cold steel burned horribly on her skin, and Fang grit her teeth to prevent tears from falling out of her eyes. Kamon touched the knife on her skin again, this time in a different place, and slashed again, creating another burning sensation. Slowly and deliberately he did this several times, before he started to pick up the pace.

For Fang, however, all she felt was the burning sensation on her arm as the blade sliced through her skin. Her eyes remained transfixed on the blade against her will, watching as it cut into her with every slash. She could practically hear the splitting of flesh, and could smell the heavy stench of blood. Her mouth went dry, and she could even taste the extra blood that had run into her mouth when Kamon had slammed her head against the floor.

Finally, Kamon wiped the blood-stained knife off and placed it on the table. Fang's eyes were transfixed on her arms. Before the knife treatment they had been untarnished, if not rather dirty and sweaty. Now, bloody cuts covered them, including her hands and fingers. Blood drops landed on the ground with a 'plink' that echoed throughout the large room. She had howled throughout the last part of the knife treatment, and now that it was over she couldn't really do anything but stare at the cuts.

Kamon unlocked the board and dragged Fang – by her hair, once again – to the wall. He lifted her arms, taking extra care to rub his hands against the torn skin, and fastened the chains to them. When this deed was finished he turned around and walked to the other side of the room. Pausing at the door, he turned his head to look at his prisoners.

"If that's how you reacted to a few cuts, I can't wait to see how you'll react to everything else I have in store for you."

†††††††††††

When Lightning got home that evening she had expected to see Fang in her living room, waiting for her. Maybe a bit bloodied and sweaty, but generally fine. Serah would be with her, maybe cleaning one of her wounds, and Hope would be waiting as well, eager to share stories about his day.

What she found when she got home that day was an empty house, exactly the way she had left it. Well, a bit different due to Snow having moved around before _he_ went to work, but generally the same. No Fang sat on her couch, head resting on the back with a grin that she always wore after a long day of hunting. No Serah stood by the door, ready to take her jacket (even though Lightning insisted every day that she could hang it up herself). No Hope sat in one of her armchairs, ready to tell her how he had finished off a King Behemoth. Lighting's brow furred. Usually Fang was back by now. What if something had happened? What if they had gotten hurt and couldn't move? No, Fang was an experienced hunter. She would never let that happen, and even if they went up against a foe she couldn't beat she would have made sure that Serah and Hope had left to get help. That would mean that they would be here. But they weren't.

A thousand scenarios played through her head. In most of them Fang was trying to protect Serah and Hope but failing. They were also very bloody. In fact, it made Lightning want to puke just thinking about them. Shaking it off, the soldier picked up her phone and quickly punched Snow's cell number into it.

"_Hello?"_

"Snow? It's me."

"_Oh. Hey, sis."_

"I'm not your sister."

A chuckle could be heard on the other line, and Lightning rolled her eyes. She hated it when he called her that.

"_Whatever. What's up?"_

"Has Serah come by?"

She could hear Snow pause on the other line, obviously caused by a sudden burst of panic.

"_No. Why, are they not back?"_

"No." Lightning said. That one syllable contained more meaning for the two of them then fifty words. She could hear Snow breathe heavily several times, obviously panicking even more. Finally, after several moments, he seemed to decide that communication was necessary right now.

"_Eh, Fang's probably being her usual stubborn self and trying to catch a Gorgonospid that got away."_

Lightning could hear the reassurance in Snow's voice, but for some reason it didn't help.

"I guess you're right." No need to let Snow know that she was more worried than she was letting on.

"_You're reaaaally worried, aren't you."_

Damn.

Lightning waited for a bit, thinking of how she would respond. The best way would be to dismiss his comment without any fluster.

"I'll admit I'm a bit worried. She's never been gone this long…" Lightning paused, letting the effect sink in, before continuing. "However Fang's there, so I don't feel too worried."

"_Yeah, Fang's a good fighter."_

The two stood on either side of the line in a rather awkward silence for a few moments, before Lightning spoke again.

"If she's not back tomorrow then I'll look for her." She said, decidedly. Upon not hearing a protest from Snow, Lightning walked back over to the counter. "Also, if you don't get back by the time I'm done cooking I'm inviting Gadot over and giving him your share." She could hear Snow chuckle on the other line.

"_I'll be back soon."_

"Good." Lightning's last word was sharp, and she quickly hung up the phone, a bit too hard then she'd hoped – but then again, it _was_ Snow on the line, so she didn't need to be too soft – and proceeded to do just what she had intended to: Cook.

†††††††††††

**A/N: **Hope you liked it. :) Reviews are appreciated, as they let me know how I'm doing.

Once again, thank you Zanna for betaing this. :)


	4. I'm Sorry!

**A/N:** I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I got a new computer! :D The bad news is that my old computer crashed which wiped the hardrive and everything I had on it… including the Crimson Shackles chapters and timeline. All the work gone because of some stupid virus. Now, I'm not saying that I'm stopping Crimson. However with my chapters (which I use as reference) and timeline gone, it will be a lot harder to write it. The chapters should be easy to retrieve (there are on here, after all) but for the timeline I need to write it out again, which should take a while. The worst part is that I was almost done with the new chapter when my computer crashed.

So it will take me time to make the timeline, write the chapters, etc. I don't know how long it will take, but I know it should be a maximum of three months. Yes, three entire months. The timeline is important to me, since it helps me plan out all the events. Without it I'm basically making stuff up off the top of my head. So expect an update from June-July. I won't be updating this month or the next month because I need to write and revise my timeline, then write the chapter.

And another thing. After I wrote the latest chapter of Crimson, I started becoming slightly depressed and obsessed with torture. I guess you could say I was slowly becoming really sadistic. Because of that, I'll be working on other fics – mainly one-shots, but I have an idea for another fic planned out that I might try – while I do Crimson. It should be sort of like this:

Crimson Update

Other Fic Update

One-Shot/Drabbles

Rinse and Repeat.

This is mainly so that I don't become obsessed with torture and become a total sadist. Because, seriously, once that period ended I started getting a little paranoid about that.

I apologize for this delay, but it's really not my fault. Please don't lose interest in Crimson. I hope that you all understand. :)

~ FLightXIII


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